[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/iceage.png]] [[caption-width-right:350:''[[TagLine The Ice Age is coming.]]'']]->''"I don't know about you guys, but we are the weirdest herd I've ever seen."''-->-- '''Sid'''

2002 CGI animated movie that was a box office hit and spawned a long-running franchise. It is Creator/BlueSkyStudios' first film and their flagship series so far.

In the Ice Age, a clumsy sloth named Sid, a depressed woolly mammoth named Manny, a saber-toothed cat named Diego and an acorn-obsessed saber-toothed squirrel named Scrat are forced to become unlikely heroes. The first three reluctantly come together and brave the deadly elements of the impending big freeze. Scrat has his own parallel StoryArc. He tries to bury his beloved acorn, but he only manages to create mayhem around him.

In the first ''Ice Age'' film, Sid (Creator/JohnLeguizamo)is left behind sleeping when the rest of his family and all the other prehistoric mammals begin the journey to the south. Awaking, he meets Manfred (Ray Romano), a mammoth who is resolutely travelling to the north, and decides to follow him. When a human camp is attacked by a pack of vengeful sabers, a woman takes her baby and jumps in a river. Before she dies from her trauma, Manny and Sid rescue the baby. The two animals decide to search for the father and return the baby to him. Diego (Creator/DenisLeary), one of the tigers that attacked the humans, comes also claiming the baby. Diego starts to work as a double agent, but along the journey he is befriended by Manny and Sid and finally joins them.

Also spawned three short films that are on the [=DVDs=]: ''Gone Nutty'' and ''No Time for Nuts'', both short adventures starring Scrat, and ''Surviving Sid'', [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin obviously centered around Sid.]] And there's "A Mammoth Christmas", a ChristmasSpecial, as well as "The Great Egg-Scapade", an EasterSpecial. It also has a [[BlatantLies healthy]] series of [[VideoGame/IceAge tie-in games.]]

----!! The films provide examples of:

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[[folder:The series as a whole]]* AllThereInTheManual:** Background information provided in the books and other websites confirms that Manny's family died in the TroubledBackStoryFlashback in the original and corroborates the belief that his first child was a son.** There is also confirmation for the human baby's name, which is Roshan. His parents are called Runar and Nadia.** The names of the two aquatic antagonists in the second film: Cretaceous and Maelstrom.* AnachronismStew: Crosses over with MisplacedWildlife and ArtisticLicensePaleontology. The fourth film lampshades it, with Sid ''outright stating'' near the start that their fight against dinosaurs from the third film made no sense whatsoever.** Also, Pangaea? ''In the Ice Age''?!** Or Stonehenge, for that matter.* AnthropomorphicShift: from Surviving Sid onwards. Though the main villains of the second and third films were actually more animalistic than the cast.* AnimationBump / ArtEvolution: PlayedWith as it both evolves and ''de''volves as the series progresses. While the overall animation does improve with each sequel, due mostly to advances in CGI animation technology, the character designs (mostly for the minor characters) becomes increasingly simplistic; for example, take a look at how more accurate the glyptodons look in the first movie, compared to how silly and cartoony they look afterwards.* ArtisticLicenseBiology: Scrat the ''saber-toothed'' squirrel. Real rodents lack canines, and at no point in history did they ever have.** The aardvarks are also shown having their mouth at the base of their snout and an elephant-like trunk, instead of a small mouth at the end of the long snout.** The dinosaurs in Ice Age 3, if compared to a mammoth, are far bigger than they were in real life, with Mama Rex topping 70 feet and Rudy a whopping 120 feet (real T. rex was a much smaller 25 feet and Baryonyx was actually smaller.)** Captain Gutt, an ape, ought to have human-like fingernails rather than pointed claws.* AscendedFanboy: [[Series/DrakeAndJosh Josh Peck]] was a fan of ''Ice Age'' before being cast as Eddie in the sequel. He was very excited to be a part of the saga. Queen Latifah was also a fan of the original film before she was cast as Ellie in the same film.* AttackAttackRetreatRetreat: Sid a couple of times through the series...--> '''Sid:''' We're gonna LIVE!--> ''*Everybody sees the water rising rapidly*''--> '''Sid:''' We're gonna DIE!* BigBad: Soto in the first movie, and he is a very, very [[MagnificentBastard effective]] one, especially if one watches and is aware that he is setting up a gambit for Diego's death at the same time Diego is machinating the demise of Manny and Roshan, [[AndZoidberg and Sid.]]** Arguably, Cretaceous and Maelstrom in the second movie, although it's more a case of NoAntagonist as the main threat comes simply from the meltdown itself. ** Rudy probably counts in the third movie.** Captain Gutt in the fourth. Noticeably the first main antagonist since the first film to be truly malevolent, as the {{Big Bad}}s of the last two movies were predatory animals who, while persistent, were merely acting on instinct, while both Soto and Gutt were acting on personal motives.* BelligerentSexualTension: Manny and Ellie in the second movie, Diego and Shira in the fourth.* BookEnds: the first movie opens with Scrat somehow causing [[DisasterDominoes an ever-growing crack]] with the acorn. It ends with one too. [[spoiler: And so does the third movie.]]* BreakOutCharacter: Scrat appears in more advertisement and has more shorts than any other character in this film series, and he's not even a main character!* BrickJoke: In the second movie, Scrat's vision of FluffyCloudHeaven includes rows of dodos welcoming him - could they be the same ones that essentially ''extincted themselves'' in the first movie?** In the third film, while Ellie is pregnant, she challenges Manny, "Let's see how you handle the teen years." In the fourth film... it's not easy.* ButtMonkey: ** Sid. Not even his ''family'' wanted him. The majority of his problems are self-imposed, either through not being properly careful, or through having delusions of grandeur.** But the award goes to Scrat. Nothing ever goes the poor guy's way. He exists only for the purpose of being a butt-monkey -- er, squirrel. Thing. Butt-Saber-Toothed-Squirrel.** Louis.** Considering every movie in the series are slapstick comedies, almost everyone gets their turn at being The ButtMonkey, but Sid and Scrat definitely get it the worst!* CallBack: ** The game Sid plays with the baby dinosaurs in the third movie is the same one he and Diego did with Roshan in the first movie.** Buck's knife in the fourth film.** The 4th movie shows Sid's family that abandoned him in the first...for one short scene.** Manny saying "Get off my face!" to Uncle Fungus in four mirrors a similar situation from the original.** When Scrat falls to the center of the earth in the fourth movie, he passes Buck riding Rudy from the third movie.*** Speaking of the third movie, Buck commandeering a pterodactyl like an aircraft is mirrored in the fourth movie by [[spoiler:Granny commandeering her pet whale like a submarine.]]** Scrat proves AboveTheInfluence when [[spoiler:the sirens]] taunt him with Scratte - [[CharacterDevelopment because he learned his lesson in the third movie!]]* CarnivoreConfusion: The "predation is a fact of life" approach is taken with the saber-tooths, humans, and tyrannosaurs. The PredatorsAreMean approach is taken by the antagonists Cretaceous and Malestrom from ''The Meltdown'' and Rudy from ''Dawn Of The Dinosaurs''. Not to mention the fish from the second.* CastCalculus: Changes with each movie.** FreudianTrio: "Ice Age"*** TheKirk: Manny*** TheMcCoy: Sid*** TheSpock: Diego** FiveManBand: "The Meltdown"*** TheHero[=/=]TheBigGuy: Manny*** TheLancer: Diego*** TheSmartGuy: Sid, who actually ''is'' pretty smart.*** TheChick: Ellie*** {{Kid Appeal Character}}s: Crash and Eddie.** TheMagnificentSevenSamurai: "Dawn Of The Dinosaurs"*** The above six, plus a new, ''seventh'' Ranger: Buck the CrazyAwesome {{Cloudcuckoolander}} weasel, though he doesn't stay with the group permanently and is remembered as an honorary member.*** And the fourth gives us Teenage Peaches, Louis, Sid’s Granny, and Shira. Safe to say this group is no longer small.* CatsAreSnarkers: Diego.-->'''Sid:''' Hey, my feet are sweating.\\'''Diego:''' Do we need a news flash every time your body does something?\\'''Manny:''' He's just doing it for attention, just ignore him.** Shira and Diego engage in SnarkToSnarkCombat repeatedly in ''Continental Drift''. It's no contest.* CentralTheme: Friendship, forgiveness, redemption, and how the actions of one innocent person, kidnapped for the slaughter, can transform a trio of misfits into a true family. Love and forgiveness can create harmony in spaces where sin has crept in. Love is shown through acts of sacrifice/sacrificial love.* ChekhovsSkill:** Ellie being the only tree-climbing mammoth helps her to save one of the dino eggs in ''Dawn of the Dinosaurs''.** Diego's forcing panicked Manny to flee ''towards'' the giant raft in ''Meltdown'' qualifies, as the other tigers' plan to ambush the mammoth in the first film involved driving him to his death. Presumably Diego knows how to do that too.** Peaches's tree-swinging abilities and Louis's tunneling in the 4th movie.** In the original, Sid's proficiency at wintertime athletics.* TheChewToy: Scrat and Sid.* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}:** Ellie, until she realizes she's all mammoth in the third.** The Dodos.** [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Buck]] [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass the]] [[ChekhovsSkill Weasel]]** Sid's Granny (played by Wanda Sykes) is the 4th movie's “Buck” in some respects.* ComicBookTime: The animal characters never seem to age, even though by rights Crash and Eddie should be old now. Which leads to the puzzling thought about how old the characters actually are...* CompletelyMissingThePoint: The dodos in the first movie. Sid continually.* ContinuityNod: Whereas this was ignored in ''The Meltdown'', the third movie comes through with a {{Callback}} to the Original Film. In the scene before Diego leaves Manny to go protect Ellie, he says five words that Manny knows very well from some years earlier: "You have to trust me." And the poignant expression in Manny's eyes seals the deal as you clearly can see that he is remembering that event all over again, and thus why he lets Diego go protect his mate.** Also the opening of the fourth movie. As Scrat falls into the chasm in the opening, we can see a glimpse of Buck and Rudy. And in the siren's nest, Scrat momentarily sees Scratte, before he shakes it away.** Earlier on in the fourth film, Diego briefly brings up his old pack.* CrazySurvivalist:** Buck the Weasel, the delightfully [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} deranged]] Franchise/{{Rambo}}[=/=][[Literature/MobyDick Ahab]] {{Expy}}.** The dodos are preparing for living billions of years underground with a stockpile of... three watermelons! They failed.* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Scrat and the piranhas. Or Scrat and Sid. "Tae kwon dodos! ATTACK!"* DeadpanSnarker: Diego and Manny, and Shira in the fourth film.* DecoyProtagonist: Scrat.* DefrostingIceQueen: Shira is eventually worn down over the course of the fourth film, [[spoiler:just as Diego was in the first film, and like him, she ultimately joins the group for good at the end.]]* TheDitz: Sid, who is also a GeniusDitz occasionally, especially in the second movie.* DumbDinos: In general, the various dinosaurs and other Mesozoic animals come across as less intelligent than the mammals, and almost never talk - Cretaceous and Maelstrom in the second movie are more brutish forces of nature than characters, while Rudy the ''Baryonyx'' and the mother ''T. rex'' in the third are portrayed as a fair bit smarter than most - the T. rex eventually befriends the main characters while Rudy is smart enough to hold a mutual grudge with Buck. Gavin and his flock of dromaeosaurs in ''Collision Course'' are the only dinosaurs seen who are fully capable of speech.* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: See AdultFear. Humans do not have a role in the story after the first film at all. * {{Expy}}: Buck the Weasel in ''Dawn of the Dinosaurs'' is a clear allusion to [[{{Rambo}} John Rambo]], another traumatized jungle warrior. His maddened quest to take down a giant white beast that took a part off of him makes him an [[Literature/MobyDick Captain Ahab]] expy as well. He also seems to be channeling [[Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean Captain Jack Sparrow]]. ** On the fourth movie, Captain Gutt seems to be styled after Blackbeard, being a fearsome pirate with a giant ego and horrible treating of his own crew, the way his fur is organized also strongly resembles [[Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanOnStrangerTides POTC Blackbeard's]] trenchcoat, they have a similar unkempt and grey-ish beard, as well. They even both wear a similar tricorn hat.** Scrat is basically the franchise's equivalent of WileECoyote.* EyeAwaken:** In ''Ice Age 2'', one of the unfrozen sea reptiles.** In ''Ice Age 3'', Rudy does this fairly often, even when knocked down.* EyeScream: Narrowly averted in the fourth film where Gutt swings his sword at Manny, which sweeps ''inches'' from his eye..** Played straight in the third film when Buck gets his eye ''ripped out'' by [[spoiler: Rudy the Baryonyx.]]* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: [[spoiler: Soto is killed by falling icicles, complete with stabbing sounds and winces from the other sabres. Also, Gutt from the fourth film is eaten alive by Sirens.]]* FireForgedFriends: Manny and Diego, especially in the original film, where their friendship is put to the test - and once tested, remains strong - out of the herd in the newer movies, Diego and Manny's bond is the deepest.* FiveBadBand: The pack of saber-toothed tigers in the first film:** BigBad: Soto, the leader of the pack.** TheDragon: Diego, who is given a special assignment to eliminate the baby and serves as TheHeavy pre-HeelFaceTurn.** TheEvilGenius: Oscar, the "haughty" one who is Soto's spokesman to Diego over his progress.** TheBrute: Lenny, the large one who is much rougher.** TheDarkChick: Zeke, the mangy one who is always talking about food and the group's {{CloudCuckoolander}} (the average sabre-toothed tiger wouldn't care much about sorting meat).*** The Pirates In the fourth movie as well.** BigBad: Captain Gutt.** TheDragon: Shira [[spoiler: and later Squint]]** TheEvilGenius: Raz.** TheBrute: Flynn and Boris.** TheDarkChick: Squint.** TeamPet: Both Silas [Gutt's Pirate parrot] and Gupta [their pirate flag].* {{Foreshadowing}}: In ''Dawn of the Dinosaurs'', Ellie reacts to Manny's overprotectiveness of their unborn child by saying "Can't wait to see how you handle the teen years."* FreshClue: When the trio of Sid, Manfred and Diego arrive at the human camp in the first film, Diego remarks upon a piece of kindling: "It's still green. They broke camp less than two hours ago."* GettingCrapPastTheRadar:** Pulled off twice in ''Dawn of the Dinosaurs''; first when Sid tries to milk a "Cow" ([[spoiler: "I thought you were a female!"]]) and at the end when [[spoiler: Ellie's daughter is born ("Oh look, it's a boy!" - "That's her ''tail'', Sid." - "It's a girl!")]]** When Diego and Manny are pressed up against each other:--> '''Diego''': "I feel...tingly!"--> '''Manny''': "Don't say that when you're pressed up against me!"--> '''Diego''': "Not ''that'' kind of tingly!"** And ''again'' with "You know the old saying, an eye for a tooth, a nose for a chin, a butt for a... well it's an old saying. It's not a good saying."** It's virtually impossible not to ''at least'' raise an eyebrow after hearing Buck say this: "What does that mean, 'I got your back'? I'd rather they covered the front. That's where all the good stuff is!"** Also in the first movie:-->'''Manny:''' [The baby] must be wearing one of those baby things.-->'''Sid:''' So?-->'''Manny:''' So if he poops, where does it go?-->'''Sid:''' (beat) Humans are disgusting.** This little gem:-->'''Buck''': "And now let me tell you about the time I used a sharpened clamshell to turn a T-Rex...into a T-Rachel!"-->'''Manny''': "That's enough [[StealthPun fairy]] tales for one night."** Sid and Diego ''kiss'' in the fourth movie.--> '''Diego''': Why are we kissing?--> '''Sid''': Um... 'cause cruises are romantic?** Diego's comment in the first movie, when Sid tells him that the baby belongs to Manfred and him. --> '''Diego''': [[DeadpanSnarker I see. Can't have one of your own, so you want to adopt.]]** In Manny's first scene when he is heading in the opposite direction of the migration a tapir yells at him to "MOVE YOUR ISSUES OFF THE ROAD!" to which Manny responds, "[[CompensatingForSomething If my trunk was that small,]] I wouldn't draw attention to myself, pal!"* GracefulInTheirElement: Sid is graceful on snow and ice, unlike Manny and Diego, but is awkward on earth. Even becomes a plot point towards the end of the first movie.* GrumpyBear: Manny.* HarmlessFreezing: Scrat in the closer to the first film, the antagonists Cretaceous and Maelstrom in the second.* HeelFaceTurn: Diego in the first film, [[spoiler:Shira]] in the fourth.* HeldGaze: The [[HeterosexualLifePartners platonic]] version of this trope occurs in ''Ice Age'' after Manny has just rescued Diego from death at the lava fields.** This happens again during a tense situation between the mammoth and the tiger in the third film, ''Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs'' when Diego is attempting to convince Manny to let him go protect Ellie.* HeterosexualLifePartners: Manny and Diego.** Manny and Sid and Diego and Sid (more like Heterosexual Life Trio).* HomoeroticSubtext: We certainly get some moments with [[HasTwoMommies three male animals]] taking care of one baby. The two HeldGaze moments between Manny and Diego. When Diego meets Manny and Sid for the first time, he comments, "I see. Can't have one of your own, so you want to adopt". Also, in the third film when [[ItMakesSenseInContext Diego and Manny are pressed up against each other]], Diego says, "I feel all tingly!" Manny says, "Don't say that when you're pressed up against me!" "Not that kind of tingly!"** In the 4th Sid and Diego [[AccidentalKiss ''kiss'']]. [[AliensMadeThemDoIt Sirens Made Them Do It.]]* HonorableElephant: Manny, who chooses to spare Diego's life after learning about his ambush plan.* HumbleGoal: Scrat wants nothing more than to enjoy his acorn in peace.* IAmBigBoned: Manny. He's not fat, it's all that fur. It makes him look...poofy.* IconicSequelCharacter: Elle, Crash, and Eddie were all introduced in the second movie, and have been part of the herd ever since after Ellie marries Manny. * InsistentTerminology: Manny has poofy fur, he's not fat.* InterspeciesRomance:** Scrat and Scratte. Scrat is a ground squirrel and Scratte is a flying squirrel...*** Given that [[spoiler: Scratlantis]] shows creatures that resemble both Scrat and Scratte, one could argue that it's a case of BizarreSexualDimorphism, but who knows.** Peaches the mammoth and Louis the molehog.* {{Jerkass}}: Sid can come off like this sometimes, most notably in the third movie where he doesn't even give his friends one word of thanks for embarking on that perilous journey to save him, and instead complains about how hard watching his kids were - for ''one'' day! It's more about immaturity than simply being a jerk. ** Manny was this in the first film, but goes through character development and becomes a JerkWithAHeartOfGold once he opens up to Sid and Diego.** Fast Tony from the second film. Let's put it this way: upon learning his best friend is probably dead, the first thing he does is try to make a buck selling his now empty shell.* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Manny, Diego, and sometimes Sid.* MamaBear: "Momma" in the third. Helps that she's a T-Rex.** Also Roshan's mother in the first film. She leaped over ''a waterfall'' to protect her son from the sabers.* MisplacedWildlife: Many animals, depending on where the films are set. Most notably the dodos, native to Mauritius, far away from areas affected by the Ice Age.* MixAndMatchCritter: Hammerhead sloths. Yeah.** Also, aardvarks with giant anteater-like snouts and tails.* MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily: The piranhas in Ice Age 2; [[spoiler:the sirens]] in Ice Age 4. Sid's Granny too, once she gets ''shark-teeth dentures''.* NeverTheSelvesShallMeet: Averted in ''No Time for Nuts'' when Scrat ends up meeting himself via use of the time machine. HilarityEnsues when both Scrats start craving the time traveling one's acorn.* ObliviousAdoption: Ellie in the second movie; the baby dinos in the third (but justified by imprinting.)* ObliviousToLove: Manny doesn't seem to be aware of his growing feelings for Ellie in the second film. Turns out he's quite aware -- and still grieving the loss of his first family.** Then, in the 4th film, Sid ''and'' Manny gang up on Diego after his first run-in with Shira; though the two are clearly laughing it up as much as they can, while Diego stubbornly denies it...although he probably realizes his attraction, at the very least at a subconscious level, if [[spoiler: the "siren"'s taking the shape of Shira to lure him in is any indication. It works ''wonderfully well'', until Manny wakes up from his own illusion.]]--> '''Manny''': Denial is the clincher! You're in love, ''pussycat!''* PlummetPerspective: Happens in the first three movies, but shown only a few times in the fourth.* PredatorsAreMean: Only one of the {{Big Bad}}s has ''not'' been a predatory animal.** Ultimately though, it's subverted. Just look at Diego, Mamma Rex, and the humans. They are all carnivores but are not malicious, at least not inherently.* RecordNeedleScratch: Abruptly ending Scrat's [[spoiler: stay in his FluffyCloudHeaven]] at the end of the second movie. Again, in the begin sequence of ''Dawn of the Dinosaurs,'' ending the first encounter of Scrat and Scratte.* RoadRunnerVsCoyote: Scrat and the Acorn.* RunningGag: Manny's not fat, it's his fur. It makes him look poofy.* [[ButterflyOfDoom Sabre-tooth Squirrel of Doom]]: Scrat* SapientEatSapient: Nearly all animals are capable of conversing with one another, but nonetheless, carnivores are usually more than happy to eat both humans and other animals.** Ironically, Manny only seems to become truly upset with Carl and Frank when they say they're ''not'' going to eat Sid after killing him.* SeaMonster: Cretaceous and Maelstrom in the second film, a ''Globidens'' and ''Metriorhynchus''. [[ArtisticLicensePaleontology Both are wildly inaccurate.]] In reality, ''Globidens'' had a long tail and fed on clams, and ''Metriorhynchus'' had smooth skin, no fin on its back, and a fish-like tail.** [[spoiler: [[ChekhovsGunman Precious]], Sid's Grandma's pet.]]* SeldomSeenSpecies: A lot of the background species are real animals that are fairly obscure to anyone but a paleontologist, and the fourth film features a hyrax, a rarely seen creature alive today.** And humans, for that matter, as they're only seen in the first movie and gone for the rest.** The third film has ''Harpactognathus'' and ''Pterodactylus'' as the token pterosaurs, instead of the usual ''Pteranodon'' or ''Rhamphorhynchus''.* SeriesMascot: Scrat.* ShoutOut:** In the first film, the alien ship seen in the cave is a reference to ''Franchise/StarTrek''. The baby even does the Vulcan salute as they pass by it.** Towards the beginning, a group of little anteaters are stuck in a mud hole, referencing the Rite of Spring segment from ''{{Disney/Fantasia}}''.** "[[Theatre/{{Oliver}} Food, Glorious Food]]"** "[[Film/SpaceJam I Believe I Can Fly]]"** Scrat's "death" in the second film is reminiscent of King Kong.** Moby Dick=Rudy and Buck.** Also, in the third movie, when they inhale the gas, Crash and Eddie try to sing like the Chipmunks ... or at least a Chipmunk song.** "Yabba Dabba Doo!" "Don't Ever Yabadaba''[[TheFlintstones Doo]]'' that again!"** When Buck mentions that he calls the dinosaur he fought Rudy, Manny wonders why he didn't call him something more terrible, like [[Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail Tim]].** Buck's analysis of the "crime scene" always ending with "[[Series/CSIMiami leaving... a vegetable!]]"*** This scene is also quite similar to the scene in ''Film/ShaunOfTheDead'' when Creator/SimonPegg's (who voiced Buck) character is trying to make a plan upon realizing there's a zombie outbreak, with each proposition ending with "and wait for all of this to blow over". Could also double as ActorAllusion.** This line from Buck: -->[[Literature/TheDivineComedy "Abandon all hope he who enters there!"]]** The leader of the hyrax army in the fourth film paints half his face blue, a clear reference to William Wallace in Braveheart. The army as a whole, with their ZergRush against the pirates and Sid's communication with them by dance, channels the Ewoks in ReturnOfTheJedi* ShownTheirWork: While they may not be anatomically or historically accurate, the obscurity of the animals in the series is outstanding. Some of which don't even appear in documetaries that much.** When Sid threw the Archaeopteryx off the cliff expecting it to fly off, it instead dropped like a stone. Real Archaeopteryx probably couldn't fly like they are usually depicted (though they could have glided).** The ''Pterodactylus'' are crested, rather than smooth headed like in old portraits.** Gutt the ''Gigantopithecus'' is designed after an orangutan, which is the closest relative of ''Gigantopithecus''. Also Raz resembles a genuine ''Procoptodon'', even having a single hoof-like toe on each foot.* SmarterThanYouLook: Sid occasionally, most notably in ''Ice Age: The Meltdown''.* TheSpeechless: Despite being ''very'' noisy, Scrat. Also, the humans of the original movie ''Ice Age'' Mama T. Rex in ''Dawn''.* SuperPersistentPredator:** [[spoiler: Rudy. Justified, as Buck took out one of his teeth.]]** Cretaceous and Maelstrom.* TertiarySexualCharacteristics: Scratte appears to be wearing blue eye shadow, but makeup won't exist for millions of years, so it's probably natural coloring. In other words, you could say it's all down to her [[IncrediblyLamePun biological makeup]].** An extreme one with Diego and Shira, where Diego (and all sabers seen beforehand) are orange, while Shira is grey with black stripes.* ThatRemindsMeOfASong: Happens twice times in the film series. First, in the third film, the possums begin singing [[Franchise/AlvinAndTheChipmunks Christmas Don't Be Late]] after swallowing poison gas that makes them sound like chipmunks. Then, in the fourth film, Manny sang "The Candyman Can" from ''Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory'' when trying to ignore the illusions that turn out to be piranhas. ** There's also that one scene in the second film, where [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment the heroes run from carrion birds singing "Food, Glorious Food."]]* TooDumbToLive:** The Dodos.** Often (and hilariously) subverted by both Scrat and Sid, often just barely.*** One particular example involving Scrat is when he tries to bury his acorn at the top of a hollow tree...''during a thunderstorm!'' Predictably, he gets zapped by lightning, leaving him smoked and covered in ashes.''** Buck, arguably. Even though he is insane, he does show some sort of intelligence. Sometimes.* TrueCompanions: The term "Herd" is used to describe the characters, and contrary to popular belief (ie Sid's) the sloth is not the to first to call them that, Manny termed them thus in the original movie after his rescue of Diego.* UnusualAnimalAlliance* WasntThatFun: In the first movie, after the animals all go hurtling through an [[ItMakesSenseInContext Ice Helter Skelter]] and slam into a wall, Diego punches the air and asks who wants to go do it again.** Also in the third movie, when the herd is leaving the underground world, Buck states that they should have that adventure full of mortal peril again.* VileVillainSaccharineShow: Almost all of the villains can apply. Things are usually fairly nice seeming and happy until one of the baddies shows up. For example almost all the jokes stop during the duel with Soto in the first film. In the second film the opossum brothers' cavorting on ice is abruptly interrupted by Maelstrom exploding through it, cracking open the river's surface and instigating a tense and frightening chase scene that ends with Manny, Cretaceous and Maelstrom sharing [[DeathGlare Death Glares]] with dark and foreboding music playing, with not a single humorous moment in the scene. The final battle with Rudy in the third film has only a single quick funny moment with Sid tying the vines. Hell, Rudy is so scary he comes off more like an EldritchAbomination rather than just a dinosaur like all the others, with every scene he's in being ominous and scary. And in ''Continental Drift'', while his crew has their quirks and funny times, Gutt himself is a very cruel and vicious ape. And he holds a grudge against Manny'; a grudge ''so powerful'', that Gutt [[MoralEventHorizon eventually resorts to trying to]] [[spoiler: kill Manny's family just to get back at him.]]-->'''Manny''': Alright, Let them go!\\'''Gutt'''(''[[EvilLaugh chuckles darkly]]''): I don't think so. You destroyed ''everything I had!'' I'm just ''returning the favor.''* VillainSong: The vultures from the second movie use Food Glorious Food, from Oliver the musical as theirs, and Captain Gutt from the fourth has his own sea shanty entitled [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YA2nU5CatY "Master of the Seas"]].* VitriolicBestBuds: Sid is this, to Manny and Diego.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ice Age]]* AccidentalAthlete: Sid makes a touchdown during a game of football against dodos, ice-skates better than his other traveling companions, and is successfully able to create the first skiing and snowboarding events in history!* {{Adult Fear}}s: The first film is more [[DarkerAndEdgier serious]] than the [[LighterAndSofter sequels]], with human beings slaughtering mammoths, tigers slaughtering human beings, multiple characters with dead family members, parents trying and failing to protect their children, ''somebody's mom practically dying on screen''...* AlternativeForeignThemeSong: The Japanese version has a surprisingly melancholy theme song for a family comedy. It's called [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPFsuPgoq58 "Hitoshizuku"]] which translates to "A Single Drop of Tears". This could reflect the first movie's DarkerAndEdgier tone compared to the sequels.* ArtisticLicenseBiology: The Dodos are in fact extinct, but they didn't die out during the Ice Age. They were wiped out by man very quickly after discovering the remote island of Mauritius were they used to live. Not mainly for food (they tasted awful), but simply as some sort of sport... They were in no way "too dumb to live" as portayed in the movie, but just evolutionary unfit for the challenge by naked monkeys who, after a long sea travel, would see clubbing fat flightless birds as appropriate entertainment.* ArtShift: During the sequence where the "herd" happens upon the cave paintings, which fade into traditional animation to reveal Manfred's [[{{Tearjerker}} tragic loss]] and explain the reason why he is so moody - he is still grieving.* TheAtoner: Diego becomes this as the film progresses, even after revealing that he was setting them up for an ambush.* BigThinShortTrio: Manny (big), Diego (thin) and Sid (short). Also the supporting saber-toothed tigers: Lenny (big), Oscar (thin) and Zeke (short).* BilingualBonus: Anyone who's been in Tae Kwon Do would find the "multi-language" feature on the first film's DVD amusing, as the selected scene (the trio poop checking) ends with Manny shouting "ENOUGH!" in Korean. The word is Romanized as "ku mahn", and is a common phrase used in TKD class when the instructor wants you to finish an exercise.* BladeBrake: Diego tries to use his claws to stop his momentum during the ice slide scene. It doesn't work.* ChekhovsGun: The ominous vibrating icicles in the final battle.** Diego's game of Where's the Baby with Roshan during the first half. Watch closely to see how it shows up again later.* ChirpingCrickets: "We're gonna miss the mi... the mi... gration..."* ConvectionSchmonvection: You'd think the ice would melt a hell of a lot faster with all that ''lava'' underneath it.* ACrackInTheIce: The herd is walking on an ice field when a lava flow opens up beneath them, leaving only a thin bridge getting thinner by the minute.* CrusadingWidower: [[spoiler:Manny. It's revealed his wife and son were [[TearJerker killed]] prior to the film]].* CynicismCatalyst: For Manny, it was [[spoiler:the death of his wife and child.]]* DarkerAndEdgier: The first film is this in comparison to the sequels, with a sombre colour palette, constant references to death and/or dying, AdultFear, and a serious depiction of life during the Ice Age and the fight for survival between humans ''and'' animals. And let's not forget that Soto is a MagnificentBastard who is setting up his own second-in-command throughout the entire film whilst Diego does the same with Manny, Roshan, and Sid.... * DawnAttack:-->'''Diego''': We'll teach that human what happens when he messes with sabers. \\'''Soto''': Alert the troops. We attack at dawn. And Diego, bring me that baby,''alive.'' If I'm gonna enjoy my revenge, I want it to be ''fresh.''* DisneyDeath: Diego. (The commentary by the directors confirms it as a real death, saying that he actually died, just as a reference. In that scene, he is actually ''dying''. Sure, he comes back later, but in that scene, they do confirm that he does actually ''die'' in that scene.)* DisproportionateRetribution: Carl and Frank are out to kill Sid because he... ruined their salad, accidentally flicked shit on them, and said they had tiny brains. * DoomyDoomsOfDoom: The [[PunnyName Tae-Kwan-Dodos]]: "Doom on you! Doom on you! Doom on you!" * {{Dramedy}}: The first film is this, balancing comedic moments between MoodWhiplash such as TheReveal that Manny's family was killed and the mentions of death and AdultFear make the Original stand out even more from the comedy-based sequels in that the Original has a potent blend of drama and comedy that really ''works.'' * DrivenToSuicide: It isn't explicitly stated but it's likely this was the reason Manny was heading north rather than south like everyone else. He has just lost his family and had lost the will to live. * [[FallingChandelierOfDoom Falling Icicles Of Doom]]: Soto's death. * FamilyOfChoice: The "herd" by the end of the movie, largely thanks to the involvement of Roshan bringing them all together. * FantasticRacism: Even if they did so for good reason, Manny and Sid were wary of Diego at first mostly because he was just a saber-toothed tiger.* {{Foreshadowing}}: When Sid tells Manny how his family abandoned him, he asks Manny about his family. Manny doesn't answer, and then tells Sid the following morning he should be loyal (in Sid's case, grateful) to a mate if and when he gets one. We find out what happened to his family in the cave drawings scene. [[spoiler:Manny had a wife and child who were killed by humans, and he's still grieving for them, so he knows full well about being loyal to a mate. This is likely a reason why he denies his feelings for Ellie in the second film at first too.]]* TheGlomp: Sid does this to Diego when the tiger returns from his DisneyDeath. Diego doesn't really appreciate being Glomped though.* GoryDiscretionShot: [[spoiler: Soto being impaled by the falling icicles.]]* HeelRealization: Diego after seeing Manny taking care of the baby even after remembering that he lost his family to them.* HeroicSacrifice: Nadia, the baby's mother and [[spoiler: Manny and Diego, done for each other, and both times they nearly die.]]* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: Played with: humans kill mammoths and have caused real heartbreak for Manny, but at this stage of human development they aren't really worse than other predatory species like saber-tooths.* ImDyingPleaseTakeMyMacGuffin: Manny and Sid receive baby Roshan from his mother Nadia in this way, seconds before she succumbs to her injuries.* ImpactSilhouette: At the end of the scene where Manny, Sid and Diego are sliding after Roshan through the ice tunnels, first Sid, then Diego and finally Manny crash through a wall of ice and snow and one of these is formed each time. * ItIsDehumanizing: After Sid has tricked Carl and Frank into thinking Diego has killed him, but Diego won't release him, Manny appears and tells Diego to "Spit that [Sid] out. You don't know where it's been." Diego promptly does. * ManipulativeBastard: Sid has a moment of this. When he's trying to get rid of Carl and Frank, Diego tells Sid to get away from him after Sid asks Diego to bite him. Desperate, Sid kicks Diego in the backside to anger him. Diego promptly gets Sid in his mouth. * ManlyTears: All of the three main (animal) male characters cry at some parts of the movie. When Diego cries, it shows his heart beginning to soften and him starting to [[TearsOfRemorse question his motives]]; Sid is in general very emotionally prone to outbursts such as crying, whilst Manny's tears give way to truly forgiving the humans for the wrong and loss they've caused him. * MeaningfulEcho: -->"That's what you do in a herd." ** A very big one. Manny says this to Diego after saving his life in the lava field. And it's one of the big things that contribute to Diego's HeelFaceTurn. In the final battle, Diego [[TakingTheBullet saves Manny's life]] when Soto goes for the kill, but is mortally wounded instead. Manny tells Diego he didn't have to do it. Diego repeats what Manny told him the previous day, which at the time, seemed to be his LastWords. * MeaningfulName: Several of the characters have meaningful names that reflect the [[FauxSymbolism depth of the movie's writing.]] Sid and Scrat's names have no intended deeper meaning, most likely because they're the comic reliefs of the film. Manfred means "Man of Peace" and his character arc has him show he stands for justice and forgiveness and like a man of peace, he brokers reconciliation between himself and his human enemies. Diego is the Spanish form of the name Jacob, which means "Deceiver, or, He Deceives" and within the plot of the film Diego is a DoubleAgent, glibly lying to Manny and Sid and setting them up. However, like the original Jacob of the Bible, Diego gets redemption as well, though from an unlikely source: the baby - and Manny. Roshan, the name of the baby, is Hindi and means "Light" or "Light at Dawn" and he is the peace child who brings light into the midst of three lonely souls (Sid's family abandoned him, Diego's pack doesn't care about him, and Manny family [[spoiler: was taken away from him]]) and makes them a family.* MoodWhiplash: The second half of the film whips you through hilarity, and then sorrow, and then funniness again, and then back to close-to-tears-ness with the showdown with the sabres and Diego's DisneyDeath (though the filmmakers confirm in the commentary that it's actually a real death, which, depending on your affection for Diego, might make that moment worse). * OffIntoTheDistanceEnding: The ending has Manfred, Sid and Diego amble away from the camera, content at having returned the human infant to his father.* OhCrap: Sid has one when he bumps into Carl and Frank and second time, remembering they want to kill him. ** Two in quick succession at the start of the lava scene. Manny gets one after the first big rumble as Sid catches up to him and Diego. Then they all get one as the lava shoots up behind them moments later. * OldFaithful: at one point, Sid sits on a geyser as Manny and Diego count down to when the geyser erupts and sends Sid flying, with Manny commenting "Sure is faithful".* ParentalBonus:-->'''Manny:''' "If my trunk was that small, I wouldn't draw attention to myself, pal."* ParodyOfEvolution: Seen in the ice caves.* PickUpBabesWithBabes: Sid the Sloth tries to use this... and it actually DOES seem to be working, until Manny the Mammoth steps in. A cut-out scene shows Sid attempting to complete the 'score' after Manny's taken away their youthful charge, and predictably it ends badly.* PlayingPossum: Sid does this to get rid of Carl and Frank, making them think Diego has already killed him. It works, and the two are never seen again. * PredationIsNatural: The pack of sabretooth cats are the villains because they hunt humans not for food but out of revenge. Diego befriends two herbivores and goes through a Heel–Face Turn while keeping his carnivorous diet (he's seen hunting in the sequels). Also, Manny the mammoth berates the two brontotheres for trying to kill Sid the sloth despite being herbivores. * PunctuatedForEmphasis: "Because. Of all. ''The Ice''!"** Manny after Sid tells him to help him returning the baby to its herd. He even mimics the "lip movements" with his trunk: "I'm. Not. Going."** This statement from Diego at the end: "Leave. The. Mammoth. Alone." He directs it at [[BigBad Soto.]]** Sid has his moment, too, during the same scene: "Survival! Of the! Fittest! I don't think so."** Earlier, when Manny wants nothing to do with Sid accompanying him, he says to him, "Stop. Following. Me."* RealSongThemeTune: Rusted Root's "Send Me On My Way", which was used rather prominently in the film during the TravelMontage.* RecycledInSpace: ''3 Godfathers''...with prehistoric animals!* {{Retcon}}: The ending sequence of [[spoiler:Scrat waking up 20,000 years later in the volcanic age]] was more or less ignored to create sequels. Following the ending would have also meant the lack of Manny, Sid and Diego in future installments.** It's possible that Scrat hasn't gotten to the event that froze him yet.* SayMyName: Manny and Diego both shout "SID!" after realising the baby is missing, thanks to Sid trying to PickUpBabesWithBabes.** [[spoiler:When Manny is attempting to save Diego and the ice Manny is standing on breaks, Sid screams Manny's name as Manny plummets down. He survives.]]* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: Sid does this when he has an OhCrap moment when he unexpectedly crosses paths with Carl and Frank again. * TakingTheBullet: How Diego saves Manny from Soto during the climatic battle at the end after Soto's discovered their infiltration gambit. * ThoseTwoBadGuys: Carl and Frank.* ThreateningMediator: When Sid and the baby start fighting, Manny warns that "I don't care who started it, I'll finish it." * TitleDrop: The film employs this along with PunctuatedForEmphasis, below. "How do we know it's an Ice Age?"* TongueOnTheFlagpole: Well, on an icy ground to be exact - it happens to Sid while they travel through an icy cave.* TravelMontage: Accompanied by [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome Rusted Root's ''Send Me on My Way'']] as the characters experience Old Faithful, brave a blizzard, and attempt to walk on ice.* TroubledBackstoryFlashback: How Manny [[spoiler: lost his family to hunters.]]* UnexplainedRecovery: Diego's DisneyDeath. It's explained in the DVDCommentary that it was originally planned for him to die, but the filmmakers ultimately went against it.-->[[CatsHaveNineLives "Nine lives, baby!"]]* VillainProtagonist: Diego, especially after joining Manny and Sid in their quest to return Roshan to his tribe.* WouldHurtAChild: In Manny's TroubledBackstoryFlashback, [[spoiler: his child was stoned to death, along with Manny's wife.]]* YankTheDogsChain: Sid gets a moment of this when his plan to PickUpBabesWithBabes seems to be working, right up until Manny shows up and takes the baby back. [[/folder]]----